Opinions for and against the ongoing vaccination drive and even the very concept of vaccinating the people against Covid-19 have compelled the Sri Lankan Government to pay attention to managing the risks associated with the people’s decision to get or not get vaccinated.
This week, while acknowledging that there is no intention to make vaccination mandatory, or force people to get vaccinated, as some put it, the Government emphasised that it is determined to ensure the safety of the people from those who decide not to get vaccinated despite being eligible.
In a new development, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the Government was considering whether to permit business establishments frequented by the public, particularly super markets, to operate as usual, in the event their employees have chosen to remain unvaccinated despite being eligible. Even though these considerations are still in their initial stage, once all eligible citizens are vaccinated with both doses, concrete steps would be taken to address this situation, according to the Minister.
This announcement was made in a context where the health authorities have proposed to make proof of vaccination, or a “vaccination card”, mandatory to enter public places.
Respecting the people’s right to make decisions pertaining to getting vaccinated, while respecting others’ rights to be safe, is a bigger issue than it appeared to be, as it is not an opinion anymore. Recently, a group called the Sinhala Ravaya filed a fundamental rights (FR) petition in the Supreme Court against making vaccination cards mandatory to visit public places, and the health authorities acknowledged every person’s right to make decisions regarding getting vaccinated, even though getting vaccinated is highly encouraged. In fact, to identify and address the concerns of those who choose not to get vaccinated, the health authorities recently launched a survey as well, and the President too had issued instructions to the authorities in this regard.
In a context where the country has achieved great progress by fully vaccinating 50% of its population, a target other countries in the South Asian region have not been able to achieve, refusing vaccination poses a great risk not only to those who refuse to get vaccinated, but also to the entire nation. In the event a large number of people decide not to get vaccinated, it is more than enough to reverse the success the country has achieved through its vaccination drive.
Sri Lanka is not the only country facing this situation; and similar experiences of other countries suggest that a massive, national-level setback is possible, if refusal to get vaccinated takes place in large numbers. Israel, the UK, and the US are three such examples.
At the rate the vaccination drives in the said three countries were taking place, experts had forecasted that those countries would rid their citizens of Covid-19 before other countries and would set an example to other countries. As a matter of fact, Israel and the UK had extremely efficient vaccination drives, where it was predicted that they would have 80-90% fully vaccinated citizens. However, the rate of vaccination declined, leaving the UK’s rate at 63%, Israel’s rate at 62%, and the US’ rate at 52%.
According to experts, this major setback is a result of certain groups of people refusing to get vaccinated due to a multitude of reasons; the most prominent ones being beliefs that getting vaccinated is not a priority due to good health and being young, the lack of knowledge, and trusting misconceptions, and this scenario has affected the national vaccination drives of those countries. The bigger risk this situation poses was revealed in one study conducted in the US, which had concluded that approximately 90% of those who died of Covid-19 were unvaccinated.
The reasons for the decline in vaccination rates in the said three countries can be seen in Sri Lanka too. Sri Lanka has the added problem of convincing the public that all vaccines are made equal, particularly since we are so reliant on the Chinese-made Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, which accounts for over 80% of vaccine doses that have arrived in Sri Lanka. As recent reports have indicated, certain individuals, particularly those between the ages of 20 and 30 years, have been reluctant to obtain the Chinese-made Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine due to a belief that western countries would not permit them entry unless they obtain a US-made vaccine such as the German-US Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Both the people who choose not to get vaccinated due to misconceptions and due to practical difficulties can be addressed effectively through awareness raising and programmes designed to address the findings of the surveys looking into the unvaccinated. If the people decide not to get vaccinated due to problems that have answers, not addressing those is not the same as respecting the people’s right to refuse vaccination due to other reasons such as health reasons and concerns surrounding bodily autonomy.
Perhaps it is time for us to understand that in order to prevent Sri Lanka’s vaccination drive from losing the progress it has achieved, there are more effective and simpler solutions than merely imposing laws and regulations.
Enlightenment before enforcement for the reluctant
21 Sep 2021
Enlightenment before enforcement for the reluctant
21 Sep 2021
Opinions for and against the ongoing vaccination drive and even the very concept of vaccinating the people against Covid-19 have compelled the Sri Lankan Government to pay attention to managing the risks associated with the people’s decision to get or not get vaccinated.
This week, while acknowledging that there is no intention to make vaccination mandatory, or force people to get vaccinated, as some put it, the Government emphasised that it is determined to ensure the safety of the people from those who decide not to get vaccinated despite being eligible.
In a new development, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the Government was considering whether to permit business establishments frequented by the public, particularly super markets, to operate as usual, in the event their employees have chosen to remain unvaccinated despite being eligible. Even though these considerations are still in their initial stage, once all eligible citizens are vaccinated with both doses, concrete steps would be taken to address this situation, according to the Minister.
This announcement was made in a context where the health authorities have proposed to make proof of vaccination, or a “vaccination card”, mandatory to enter public places.
Respecting the people’s right to make decisions pertaining to getting vaccinated, while respecting others’ rights to be safe, is a bigger issue than it appeared to be, as it is not an opinion anymore. Recently, a group called the Sinhala Ravaya filed a fundamental rights (FR) petition in the Supreme Court against making vaccination cards mandatory to visit public places, and the health authorities acknowledged every person’s right to make decisions regarding getting vaccinated, even though getting vaccinated is highly encouraged. In fact, to identify and address the concerns of those who choose not to get vaccinated, the health authorities recently launched a survey as well, and the President too had issued instructions to the authorities in this regard.
In a context where the country has achieved great progress by fully vaccinating 50% of its population, a target other countries in the South Asian region have not been able to achieve, refusing vaccination poses a great risk not only to those who refuse to get vaccinated, but also to the entire nation. In the event a large number of people decide not to get vaccinated, it is more than enough to reverse the success the country has achieved through its vaccination drive.
Sri Lanka is not the only country facing this situation; and similar experiences of other countries suggest that a massive, national-level setback is possible, if refusal to get vaccinated takes place in large numbers. Israel, the UK, and the US are three such examples.
At the rate the vaccination drives in the said three countries were taking place, experts had forecasted that those countries would rid their citizens of Covid-19 before other countries and would set an example to other countries. As a matter of fact, Israel and the UK had extremely efficient vaccination drives, where it was predicted that they would have 80-90% fully vaccinated citizens. However, the rate of vaccination declined, leaving the UK’s rate at 63%, Israel’s rate at 62%, and the US’ rate at 52%.
According to experts, this major setback is a result of certain groups of people refusing to get vaccinated due to a multitude of reasons; the most prominent ones being beliefs that getting vaccinated is not a priority due to good health and being young, the lack of knowledge, and trusting misconceptions, and this scenario has affected the national vaccination drives of those countries. The bigger risk this situation poses was revealed in one study conducted in the US, which had concluded that approximately 90% of those who died of Covid-19 were unvaccinated.
The reasons for the decline in vaccination rates in the said three countries can be seen in Sri Lanka too. Sri Lanka has the added problem of convincing the public that all vaccines are made equal, particularly since we are so reliant on the Chinese-made Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, which accounts for over 80% of vaccine doses that have arrived in Sri Lanka. As recent reports have indicated, certain individuals, particularly those between the ages of 20 and 30 years, have been reluctant to obtain the Chinese-made Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine due to a belief that western countries would not permit them entry unless they obtain a US-made vaccine such as the German-US Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Both the people who choose not to get vaccinated due to misconceptions and due to practical difficulties can be addressed effectively through awareness raising and programmes designed to address the findings of the surveys looking into the unvaccinated. If the people decide not to get vaccinated due to problems that have answers, not addressing those is not the same as respecting the people’s right to refuse vaccination due to other reasons such as health reasons and concerns surrounding bodily autonomy.
Perhaps it is time for us to understand that in order to prevent Sri Lanka’s vaccination drive from losing the progress it has achieved, there are more effective and simpler solutions than merely imposing laws and regulations.
Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!